Why is madeira heated?

Heat speeds up oxidation and the caramelisation of sugars, so that the wine becomes darker and develops notes of dried fruit, nuts and toffee.

In ordinary wine, that is spoilage. In madeira, it is the goal. Because the wine is first fortified with wine alcohol, it withstands the treatment: the alcohol content and the high acidity keep the wine stable.

The result is a wine that has already put its oxidative ageing behind it. What is a fault in table wine is the hallmark of the style in madeira.

Estufagem is the accelerated method: the wine goes into stainless steel tanks with heating coils and reaches about 45 to 50 degrees, for up to about three months.

After heating the wine rests. Producers then leave it for a further period in wooden casks to stabilise before it goes into bottle.

Estufagem is mainly used for the younger Madeiras that do their job as an aperitif or in the kitchen. It is the reason why even young Madeira already has the recognisable caramelised note.

Canteiro is the natural method: the wine matures without artificial heat in wooden casks under the roof of the warehouse, where the sun drives up the temperature.

Canteiro wines spend at least two years in cask and may only be bottled three years after the harvest. In practice the maturation often lasts much longer: five, ten, twenty years or more.

Because the temperature stays lower and the ageing takes much longer, the change is more gradual than with estufagem. The madeiras with a grape name and an age statement on the label usually come from canteiro.

A number such as 5, 10, 15 or 20 years on a bottle of Madeira refers to the maturation of the wines in the blend, not to a vintage year.

In addition there are designations for wine from a single harvest. Colheita stands for a single vintage year with at least five years of ageing. Frasqueira or Garrafeira stands for a single vintage year with at least twenty years of uninterrupted ageing in cask.

Solera is a third form: a base wine of at least five years to which younger wine is added in limited amounts.

No. With estufagem the wine reaches about 45 to 50 degrees, well below the boiling point, and the treatment lasts weeks to months instead of minutes.

Boiling would drive off alcohol and volatile aromas. The heating in Madeira does the opposite: slowly and under controlled conditions new compounds form, while alcohol and acids are retained.

Bij canteiro gaat het nog trager. Daar loopt de temperatuur onder het dak op met het seizoen, en doet de wijn er jaren over. NIX18: alcohol wordt niet verkocht aan mensen onder de achttien.